


How to deal with a friendly zombie

by Truly_Morgan



Series: BillDip into the multiverse [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Gen, M/M, Zombie!Bill, older Twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22399363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Truly_Morgan/pseuds/Truly_Morgan
Summary: An epidemic had been ravaging the United-States, turning people into zombies. The Pines family suspect someone must have raised the dead or something like this. Dipper is stuck between helping to keep them all alive and finding a way to make people come back to normal, though it is complicated without Ford to help.Dipper learned how to deal with zombies but suddenly doesn't know what to do with this strange one.
Relationships: Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines
Series: BillDip into the multiverse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594843
Comments: 52
Kudos: 162





	1. Chapter 1

The young man still couldn't believe their summer had turned to be such a disaster. How did this whole epidemic started? Where did all those undead came from? Him and Ford had thought maybe someone had tried to raise the dead, just like he did when he was younger, but for an evil reason? That or the person hadn't known what they were doing and something went terribly wrong.

They didn't think about terrorist and some kind of virus, otherwise, it would have spread way more in other countries. From what they could catch on the radio and tv, all country had closed their door to the United-State and were trying to contain everything within the country. He heard once that they were trying to find a way to counter that, but the results weren't really great.

They were trying that too, though their experiments were not very successful either. Not to help, Ford somehow managed to get himself contaminated and he was now left alone to figure that out. They had to find a way to stop this, they needed for thing to get back to normal, they couldn't live like that forever. It was really tiring, especially since he also needed to help keeping their group safe at the shack.

And keeping them safe was meaning he needed to get in town to go and steal some stuff to repair the stanmobile. The shack wasn't that far away from the town, but with zombies lurking out, it was clearly better in a vehicle protecting you. Sure the golf cart was doing the job, but boy was it not the safest one to go around and wouldn't carry much either.

This is what he was driving up until now, needing to get them some stuff in town and car pieces. They didn't like him going alone, but they needed the most people possible at the house to reinforce the barrier. He would clearly have preferred someone coming with him, that way he had someone looking for his back.

He had to stop when he noticed a larger group of undead was coming his way, leaving the cart on the side of the road, running as silently as possible toward a near tree in which he climbs in. From where he was perched he should be safe as they seemed to use smell more than their vision. At least, it's what he had noted from his little study on them, he would still not take the chance to push his luck.

He sighs as he watches them pass under him, seemingly wandering without purpose inside of the Gravity Falls forest. He hopes this wasn't affecting the supernatural population in this woods, it would be a real shame and a disaster. Though, he felt like any of these creatures would deal with them with more ease than humans could. He didn't even want to imagine some of them zombified, it would be terrifying.

It was taking an eternity for them to finally go away, though he could cheer up a little since none of them seems to have placed much interest in the cart. At least he wouldn't have to nudge one of them away.

It was an unspoken rule they seem to have established: don't kill unless you have no choice. They were, most of the time, able to recognise the dead faces as people from Gravity Falls, they couldn't get themselves to kill. So they were either trapping them, running from them or trying to keep them at a safe distance as they were getting to a safer place.

He looked down, frowning when he saw one of them standing a little father, standing still. It was unnerving how it was looking as if he was being looked at directly, even if he couldn't tell for sure from where he was. He knew they sometime would do that, stand around and stare blankly at something and nothing at the same time, but he really had the impression of being watched. But... didn't seem like he would come to him. He really doubted any of them would have enough working mind to actually trick them into feeling safe, only to attack after.

So he just got down from the tree, never taking his eyes away from the standing figure, other than to look around (he wasn't going to make such a stupid mistake). He did stand near the trunk without moving, only staring back, kind of intrigued by the way he was acting. Now it was clear, he was looking at him as his head and eyes had following him all the way down. Yet, the zombie didn't make a move to get closer to him, which was just even more interesting.

He slowly waved his hand, as if to greet him, not really expecting any kind of respond. He was surprised when he was meet with the undead gently tilting his head to the side, his hand weakly waving back. It was clearly time to go, as much as he was curious, his instincts were screaming to him that he should go before he gets himself eaten by this weird fella.

So he did just that, always keeping an eye on the zombie. As he was quickly getting back to the golf cart, the undead was slowly walking in his direction, which only alarmed him a little. He wasn't really threatening, but he had his surprise in the past and he wouldn't stay to see if he was wrong.

He then started to drive for the garage again, making sure the way was safe, trying to stay the most away possible from the walking bodies. He had to take out the list Stan had given him, trying is best to remember what he was supposed to get. He wasn't really good with cars, but he was doing his best to find what they needed. Not like there would be anyone to arrest him in his stealing anyway. It took a great part of his time, needing to take some from cars who were already there, also needing to deal with unwanted visitors.

Only once it was all done did he went to one of the clothes stores. It wasn't summertime anymore, autumn had clearly settled and they needed warmer clothes. At least the younger twins needed some, as Stanley already had the necessary, Wendy had some of her coats still at her dad house, same for Pacifica at her mansion.

But before looking for clothes, he needed to make sure he wouldn't get caught by surprise. Sure one of the windows was smashed, but if there was no one in, it was easy to keep an eye only on that. Luckily he was alone, so like this, he could look around freely. It was easy to find warmer clothes, a little less coat that could do for the winter, though he promised himself to go and look in houses. Sure they might have some extra at the shack, but it could be good to have something at their sizes.

Nothing was really fitting the twins own preferences, but they honestly didn't really have the choice to go with it. The best solution would nearly be to find Mabel some yarn so she could do her silly sweater. She would have both something to do and clothes she likes.

He was picking what he felt would fit the best, knowing if it was good for him, or even slightly bigger, it would be fine for his sister. He was folding it into his bag, trying to put in the most he could, so he wouldn't need to come back.

Dipper nearly dropped the hoodie he was taking off when he heard shard of glass cracking as if being stepped on. He quickly ducked behind the clothing stand, looking discretely for what the unwelcome visitor was looking like.

Shock washed over him when he saw the same zombie from earlier. This couldn't be right... yet it was the same slim man with dirty light blond hair. And... was he sniffing the air? A sense of dread took him, not believing him. Had he tracked his smell up to here? Impossible... He never saw anything like this in the past months, what if others were doing this? Sure he had seen some sniffing for them, but never on such a long distance.

He quickly stuffed the hoodie in his bag, trying to see if he could get out of there safely. Maybe the back store? But what if the doors had an alarm on them? He would only bring more attention here.

"Think quickly Dipper, what should you do" he mumbled to himself, not really realising he was speaking to himself. "Do you want to risk triggering an alarm or do you want to see if he's friendly". He nearly laughed at friendly. Yeah, sure. But he decided with the latter one. A one on one fight was always better than a twelve on one fight.

He then stood up, looking directly at the undead, unsure. He sure did quickly grabbed the attention, as the blond was looking at him again, slowly walking towards him, which made Dipper slowly back away. “Hey buddy” he tried, his voice quivering slightly as he was looking at a way to get out “What about you just let me get out of here, hum?” he suggested hesitantly.

His curiosity got back when he realised that the zombie didn't have the same glint in the eyes as the others when looking at him, or even the same expression. There was more than blankness in his mind and it was still bothering the young man. Why was he so different from all the other zombies?

The distance was starting to be smaller and smaller between them, Dipper still unsure if he should act on his curiosity or instinct. He really wanted to let his curiosity win for once, because strangely he wasn't feeling threatened by the being approaching.

He was startled when he heard a groan from the entrance, another one getting in, which wasn't good. He was even more startled when the blond suddenly got faster, cornering Dipper against a mirror between two wall shelves. He was panicking, trying to push him away, sure he would get injured. The low growl from the zombie made him freeze, quickly realising his arm where still lazily at his side and he wasn't trying to bite him.

He shivers as he was being pinned against the wall, the blond rubbing his cheek against his, doing the same with their upper body. His eyes were anxiously stalking the other zombie, holding his breath as she passed close to them. She did stop but soon went back to wandering around the store.

Wait, was he trying to help him? Was his smell covering his? Why... Why would a zombie do such a thing, it was all confusing him so much. He wouldn't really complain though, he was even grateful for the help.

He was surprised when he felt the taller one placed his head against his shoulder as if resting there. His anxiety was keeping Dipper from moving, both from the zombie pinning him against a mirror and the other one wandering around. He wasn't sure for how long they got stuck like this, it could have been ten minutes as much as it could have been two hours. In all cases, it was too much for Dipper.

Once the other zombie was gone, Dipper didn't lose time to push away the body, quickly getting out from his trap, trying to wash his cheek with his sleeve. Yet the zombie didn't make a move to get too close, always staying at least two meters away. He did walk around a little to see if he was following him and it was clearly what he was doing.

Great. Now he had a dead stalker.

He went back to the golf cart, slowly driving to the groceries store, though they were selling more than just food. They had a pet aisle and a hygiene-pharmacy one, which would be useful. They needed food, bandage and feminine product (after all, they were living with three women). He also knew he would like that store since he already had made sure no one was in and made sure nothing would get in either. He doubted any other survivors were still in Gravity Falls, otherwise, they would have suggested to join them.

When he was sure everything was secured on the cart, he ran to the door, skillfully taking away his lock, before getting in. He blocked the door from the inside before being startled by the blond standing on the other side. They stare at each other, the zombie looking as if asking to get in. "As if I would let you in" mumbled Dipper.

He was turning his back on him and walking away when he heard some banging. This only made him turned back, looking at the zombie banging his head on the window, making Dipper suddenly tense. What was he doing? He was going to bring back attention to the store, he couldn't afford that, especially with the bodies in the parking lot already curious about the sound.

He bites his lips, before groaning, getting back at the door and pulling the zombie in. He was being so careless, but it was all caused by how the zombie didn't seem threatening. "You stay away from me and never in my back" he warned, not even sure he was really understood. He took himself a cart, going for what they needed.

Sure they had plenty of cans in the basement for such event, but they couldn't leave only on that. Though there weren't many fresh things either, the best they could do was trying to make some stuff grow.

So he went around, looking for what he needed and what he knew he could carry with him. It took him more time as he was always keeping an eye on his new stalker when he was near him, arguing alone when he was suddenly appearing from the other end of a aisle and nearly giving him a heart attack. It took so much time that when he was packing his stuff in plastic bags he realised the sun was really low in the sky.

He cursed at himself, not believing his wandering around in town had taken this much time. Sure he did go on his mission in the early afternoon, but he never thought he would waste this much time. He couldn't go back now, it was too dangerous wandering out when it was night. So now he was stuck in a groceries store with a zombie. Great, just what he needed. He couldn't really throw him outside either, as he felt like he would start banging at the door again.

He tried the phone to warn his family, but of course, the line was dead too. Well, he wouldn't complain too much, it was already incredible the place still had power and light on. At least it could make him less anxious. He wasn't in the dark for now, so he still had some chance on his side.

He turned back to the body standing still not far away, staring at him. "Could you not stare, you are making me uneasy" he asked, surprised when he receive a slight nod, the eyes looking around a little more. "... thanks" he said hesitantly.

He found himself a spot to sit down at, placing his bags and other objects in front of himself, as if to create a wall. He finally left himself lean against the wall behind him to relax, watching the dead body sitting down in front of him, still keeping a respectable distance.

Dipper sighed, passing a hand over his tired eyes. He was on night duty the day before, he needed some sleep. But he couldn't sleep, not here at least and with how silent the zombie was he wouldn't even try hiding behind doors. What if he wanted to attack him and would just wait for him to open it back? So he decided to stay awake.

It was hard, at some point he even started to talk about random things just so he could keep focusing. It was also funny since it seems to interest the zombie in front of him. He couldn't tell for sure, but something was telling him he was actually listening to his blabbering. He even went on explaining nice thing to do in Gravity Falls as if he was a tourist guide. After all, he didn't remember ever seeing this man, so he must have been new to the place before the catastrophe.

But slowly he felt himself drifting away, his eyes becoming harder and harder to keep open. At some point, he did lose his battle against sleep and fell unconscious, simply watched by the curious being in front of him.


	2. Chapter 2

Dipper was woken up by surprised when his body was leaning too much in front of him, nearly crashing him against his bags. He was also shocked that he fell asleep, quickly looking up to find the zombie. It wasn't hard to do as he hadn't moved from his spot, apparently just looking at him sleep. He wasn't sure if he should feel more creeped out or happy over that information.

He pulled his legs to his chest, placing his head on top of his knees, slowly waking up. Why was he following him? It's not like he had ever known him before all this, so it couldn't be someone he knows. Also, it was so weird that he seems to still have some consciousness, as if he knew what he was doing.

Should he keep him at his side? It was too interesting not to do so and he didn't seem to be a threat either. Also, he did show he could help to keep other zombies away from him, that was always a plus. Though he would absolutely need to keep it a secret from the rest of the group, he would be in deep problem if he told them he was going around carrying a zombie with him.

"Do you want to stay with me?" he asked curiously, looking at the zombie tilting his head again, looking as if analysing the question. Soon after came a grunt with a happy nod from his new companion. "I can't let you go around freely though" he thought to himself, even if he was playing with fire, it didn't mean he wouldn't take precaution.

He got up, not really waiting for him to stand too, knowing he would join him anyway. He went for the pet aisle, feeling a little guilty about the idea he had right now, but it was all he could do. He looked at the dog collars, trying to find something that would be large enough for a human neck. He picked up a yellow one and took it out from its packaging. It was one of those made out of webbing so he could adjust it, using his own neck as reference.

He saw the man rounding the corner, looking at him curiously. Well, he guesses that if he wasn't growling at him, the idea was fine? He then unclicked it from around his own neck, giving it to the blond "Here, put that on, you should be able to do that?" he asked before looking for some leash.

Dipper was always keeping an eye on him, amused at how he was actually capable of putting it around his neck, though he couldn't click it close. He let him try some more, before letting out a sigh, he was really taking too much risk today. He went back to him before gently asking “Hands down, chin up”, waiting for him to do that so he could clip it. He placed it correctly around his neck, making sure it wouldn't chock him either.

He stepped back to look at him, "It suit you well" he commented as a joke without thinking, surprising himself. He was even more surprised when a grin seems to draw itself on the zombie's lips. He coughs a little to pass his awkwardness over that weird comment, returning instead at the search of a leash. He picked something made out of webbing again, the packaging saying it was really resistant. Well, he would see for that. He took more than one, just in case it would get worn out.

He then attached the leash to the collar, always asking for the same action, before stepping back with the other end in his hand. "This feels so weird" he commented to himself with a laugh, asking himself what the fuck he was doing. "Sorry for the weird setting, but I got to make sure I will be safe, you can understand that?" he asked, receiving yet again a nod followed with a weird choked laugh.

He clapped his hand together, finally stating he would need to go and put his bags in the cart, so he would need to wait for him here. He got everything into a shopping cart, looking outside to make sure the path was clear. All potential dangers were farther in the parking lot, occupied with fighting over somethings . Good, at least he could take his time to place everything in the cart.

He then got everything out, locking back the store and walking quickly to the cart, securing all his bags at the back with the other things he needed. The zombie was already sitting in when he turned back to him, making him smile. Well, at least he wouldn't have to treat him like an actual dog, he was understanding pretty well what to do. He still attached the leash to the pole of the roof, just to make sure he couldn't bite him. Obviously, his hand were still free, but it was just so he wouldn't feel like he was being too careless.

The way back toward the shack was smoother than the day before, nothing blocking his way, which was pretty good. He did have to stop before reaching his destination, making his new companion follow him on foot. "I can't bring you back at the shack" he explained, "But I can keep you in the small fishing cabin near the river, I often go there to fish some fresh meat and when I need to be alone".

Well, he wouldn't be able to be alone anymore, that's for sure, but it wasn't exactly the same as being with the others. They were always stuck together, they sometimes needed to be alone and just going into another room wasn't enough. Especially when he was getting frustrated over his research not working.

After nearly twenty minutes of walking they reached it, Dipper making sure no one was in already. Sure no one was ever really coming here, but he wouldn't take the chance to be discovered because he wasn't careful enough. He yet again tied him, this time to the metallic bed frame. For some odd reason, the bed frame was bolted to the floor, though all the scratches on the floor were suggesting there might have been dogs before, maybe they were also attached here. Thinking like this was making him feel a little guilty to literally treat him like a dog.

"So yeah, you can stay at the bed for now" he said, even though he didn't really have a choice to do so anyway. "I will come back later to take care of you" he assured him, looking around. The place wasn't really big, but they could both live easily inside it when he was also there. There was a small kitchen that he was mostly using to empty the fishes. A table, two chairs, a small dresser and a bed, that was all there was in. He still needed to bring a chest here so he could place his fishing equipment in, instead of letting them on the table.

He told him again he would be back before running back to the golf cart, finishing the distance separating him from the shack. It wasn't long before he was being crushed by his sister hug, asking where he had been. "Sorry, It took me more time than I thought so I stayed at the groceries store, but nothing bad happened I promise" he smiled to her, hugging her back.

He then proceeded to help them all carry the bags in, placing everything in the kitchen correctly. "Why did you got leashes?" asked Pacifica curiously and a little confused. This made Dipper tense, cursing at himself mentally for not bringing them with him at the cabin. "I thought if we needed the webbing it could be useful, I prefer having a little of everything just in case we need it" he lied perfectly, offering a smile. She didn't seem convinced by his lie, but Stan got in the conversation saying it was actually a good idea.

He helped around some more after that, before saying he would go and try some fishing so they would eat something else than can at dinner. He was left alone like this, as Stanley was already working on his car with Wendy's help, Pacifica still not ready to try and touch some fish and Mabel keeping her company. He hid the leashes in a chest with some other things for his new companion he chose to bring with him, telling them to have a good evening and asking for luck from them on his fishing.

So after a couples hours of leaving the zombie alone, he was back, greeting him. "Let wash you, what do you think of that" he asked with a laugh, gaining a happy nod as if it was actually something that would interest the other one. So he went outside with him, helping him get out of his clothes, hesitating for the underwear before taking that off too. They were way too dirty for him to keep and he did bring some clean clothes with him.

He sat him down on a log, placing a towel so it would be more comfortable, coming back soon after with a basin and a sponge. He suspected the zombie couldn't really wash himself correctly, so he went over doing that. He even took care of cut he had, even if the other would say he was wasting valuable bandages if they were to learn about it.

But he was curious if he could heal them. Up until now, he noticed none of them seems to actually decompose themselves, but would keep their injuries without healing them. It was easy to disinfect them and bandage them once he was clean. "You're probably the first one I see with so little damage on" he admits. Unless they were stuck somewhere alone and safe, they would often get in fights or injure themselves. Well, he seemed smart, so he could have easily avoided being injured.

It was awkward taking care of his lower part, but once finished it was over. He helps him put on some clean clothes, happy to see it was big enough. He wasn't that much taller than him, but his oversized hoodie was fine with a t-shirt. Even the jean was fitting. "I know it not the style you must be used to, but it all I have" he commented. His older clothes were more professional looking and fitting he guesses, but he couldn't wear those anymore. He did try to wash his shoes the best he could, telling him he would need to wait for them to dry.

He even tried to place his wet hair in a way that they would dry correctly, but he wasn't sure if it would work. He also hopes zombie couldn't get cold, otherwise, this hadn't been a good idea.

"Fishing time" he smiled once everything was cleaned and placed back where they should be, taking his fishing rode and bait with him. He also took his new friend with him, yet again tying the leash to his makeshift deck at the lake. Sitting next to him and waiting was calming. Something about him was calming.

He was lucky today since he was able to get enough for everyone, even if he kept trying to have some more. Though he gave himself the right to get distracted, fishing in his pocket the wallet he had found earlier, catching the zombie attention. "William Cipher?" he asked, receiving a small growl at the name, making him tense "Okay not William then" he corrected himself, wondering why he seemed to hate his own name.

He jumped when he felt finger brushing against his hand, taking it away quickly before looking back at the man. He was calmly pointing at his hand, waiting for him to let him do something. He hesitates before putting it closer, letting him draw a letter on the back of his hand.

"B?" he asked, a little confused, trying to find something closer. "Oh! Bill" he smiled, remembering it could be a nickname for William. He yet again receives a small grin from Bill as a response. "Well, happy to meet you Bill Cipher, my name his Dipper Pines" he presented himself with a grin before being surprised by a tug at his fishing rod, pulling and rolling for the fish.

He did a good choice by taking Bill with him. He was all the more curious about this zombie who didn't seem that dead. And Bill seems to appreciate being around him, so it was a win for everyone in this situation.

Once Dipper had enough fish he got up, ready to carry back his prizes. "I even got one for you" he smiled, not sure he would want to eat it. Bill suddenly seemed excited, trying to grab the fish Dipper was holder by the gills. He did try to stop him, but gave up, showing him how to keep it in his hand and asking him not to drop it. This seems to make the blond happy, so he didn't mind letting him do, not like it was for his group anyway, it was for him.

On the way back he was explaining how he was supposed to empty a fish, about how he was so grossed out the first time Stanley showed him how to do that. Really good memories despite how he found it gross at the moment, something he was proud to be skilful at now. Finally, something he was good at doing and that was actually useful for them right now.

He decided to let Bill free in the cabin for now, as he seems curious about what Dipper was doing. At some point the young man was surprised by noises coming from him, turning to see what he was doing. "Dude what are you doing, those are fish guts!" he said, not really stopping him anyway. Well, they were edible, it just that they were always just eating the meat from the fish. Bill yellowish eye just stared at him, clearly not understanding what the fuss was all about before continuing his snack.

It simply made Dipper laugh before he continues what he was doing "I guess I won't have to throw them out for the animals" he simply commented. It was better like this, less predator around his little house and it was making the zombie happy.

He had always been curious. They don't seem to eat because they need to, but just because they wanted to. Sure they could get hungry, but from what he had observed they didn't suffer consequences from not eating, they were just angrier. Well, if giving animal guts to the zombie was enough to keep him happy, he would give him all of them generously.

He placed their fish in a plastic box, waving Bill's fish in front of the zombie. "Wanna eat it raw?" he asks curiously, receiving a shrug before he finally nodded. "It gonna be blue then" he smiled, working on getting the bone out so he wouldn't hurt himself eating it. Once he finished that he just placed it in a plate, helping Bill sit correctly on a chair, watching him eat.

There was nothing elegant in how he was eating, though he had the feeling in other circumstance he would have been. He was finally taking in the other appearance. He was slim and wasn't looking extra muscular, but he felt like he wouldn't have much chance against him if he was really putting strength into it. Now that his hairs were clean and dry he could confirm that they were a light blond, supposing it was natural otherwise he would probably have seen roots? His eyes were a brown-yellowish, a real shame that they were circled by dark circles, they were looking really beautiful. His skin was worst, he was as white as a sheet, sickly white. He was kind of dead, so he imagines it wasn't helping him to look healthy. What was helping is that he wasn't really injured, that was already a plus in his opinion, maybe with determination he could heal him?

Once he was finished he cleaned his hand and face, attaching him at the bed again. "I gotta go or they are going to starve without me" he joked with an amused smile "Can only come back tomorrow since Mabel is going to have a panic attack if I'm not at the shack tonight" he then explains, seeing disappointment passing through Bill's eyes. "Don't worry, I will be back tomorrow and I will bring you stuff to do for when I'm not there, we will figure out what you can do" he promises, this already lifting the mood. "Be a good boy while I'm out" he said, teasing him a little, passing a hand in the blond hair to replace them correctly.

Then he was gone, making sure the door was locked and the blinds closed, even if it would let light in the next morning. He was feeling bad for leaving him alone, but he couldn't neglect his family either. But he couldn't afford to have his family find out, they would be mad at him and would probably hurt Bill too. He was feeling silly for getting this attached to a zombie, but in one day he really did enjoy his time with him, even though he wasn't doing much.

He was being too careless around him, but how could he not when he was acting some normally with him? Sure he couldn't talk back, was looking like a corpse and couldn't do some things he normally would, but it was the closest to normal he had seen.

Yeah... he had to keep this a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> update 23.02.2020: I'm not dead! I'm working on the coming chapter. Sorry for the long waiting, like I might have said, the semester is taking quite a lot of time from me. I'm not abandoning this fanfiction, I'm just really slow at writing since I'm very often tired.
> 
> update 28.06.2020: So I got back into working on this story, I realised I had stop in the middle of writing my chapter without leaving myself some notes, so after 4 months it a little hard to start well. But I will keep working on this, I just need to structure my story more. Covid-19 fucked everything up for school and work and mixing both made me exhausted and unmotivated about doing anything. Now that I'm getting back into being able to actually write something I'll restart working on both of my active billdip fanfiction


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All thanks to a nice reader I got a spike of motivation to finish this chapter I had started months ago and hadn't finished writing. I said I wasn't sure when I would update, but here I am, doing it only a couple of hours later. I don't know when I will manage to finish the next chapters, but the good news is that I've managed to create the storyline for the next chapter. I believe this fanfiction should be around 10-ish chapter if I don't change my mind.

Things had been going surprisingly smoothly for them over the past week. Dipper was able to slip out from the shack easily without putting too much suspicion on him. After all, he was always trying to figure out a way to reverse all this and he needed subject to test on and study. Of course, Stan hated seeing him go alone, he had learned from his twin carelessness not to let one of them out alone with no way of contact. But he couldn't change Dipper's mind and he would always sneak out anyway, so he dug out some old walkies-talkie, at least with those Dipper could contact them. Not like he had a choice, he needed to do it every hour or they would be worried.

Mabel did follow once, which mean he had to leave Bill alone for a whole afternoon, but he made it up to him by staying the night, saying he wouldn't be able to get back to the shack before sundown. Lying this much to them wasn't something he was loving to do, but he didn't really have the choice, otherwise, it was Bill who would be in trouble.

He also had given up on using the leash after a couple of days. What was the point? He was always staying close to him or letting the zombie get really close, the leash was pretty much useless like this. Plus, since it was useless, it was just feeling weird to keep him on a leash like that. He thought that maybe he would try to go away at some point, but Bill never did that, instead always keeping close to him or nicely waiting for him to get back to the cabin.

He really had the feeling he made a new friend out of someone who was probably not totally alive. This was weird to think he would befriend something that normally would want to attack him, but he wouldn't complain and wasn't surprised. He had learned that he was good at befriending and getting close to none human creature.

"Yes Stanley, I'm fine, I just hit my foot over a rock while speaking to you, over" he said as he was letting go of the button, sighing over how worried he was. Really he was safe, sure it was getting late, but he would be able to make it to the cabin in time for the night. He simply had lost track of time in his trying to make a spell work on a zombie (spoiler, it hasn't worked at all). He did have to argue some more with Stanley so they wouldn't get out for him, saying he was fine.

"Alright, if you say so... but don't you dare get yourself infected kiddo, or I'll get mad, over" this made him laugh a little, somehow sadly too, knowing why he was so protective. This sadness seems to be noticed by Bill, as he felt a hand brushing against his, fingers trying to lace with his. He offered him a small smile, murmuring that he was okay. "Don't worry about that, it won't happen, say good night to Mabel for me, over" he didn't really put much attention on the next respond, knowing it would be him rogering this information and saying good night.

He locked the walkies-talkie back to his belt, letting the cold fingers lightly holding his, feeling somehow calmer. "You heard that, I'll get in deep trouble if I became a zombie" he laughs a little, looking around to make sure they were on the right path and still safe. He turned back to him when he heard the weird noise he had come to assume was a laugh, making Dipper smile.

"But I can see why he's like that, it would be bad if another Pines was zombified" he said, passing a hand through his hair. This seems to catch Bill's attention, as he was cocking his head on the side, sign that he was curious about that new information. "Not a very happy story" commented Dipper, somehow hesitating about telling him.

Well, what bad about telling him? Not like it would change anything about the situation or could be used against them. Even less in Bill's state. “I wasn't alone at the start of this chaos” he explained with a smile "My great-uncle Ford was helping, or I guess it would be more correct to say I was helping him, we were looking for a way to turn everyone back into humans without it causing a problem to the person who's changed back, he got infected once when we were out at night and since Stanley is more protective of us, he'd probably flip out if I told him you were always around me". He left out a little laugh at the last mention, knowing very well how he would react.

He tried not to think too much about it, it was difficult to think about the fact they had lost Ford, or at least up until he was able to fix this up. Though he would still need to find him back, he couldn't have gone that far, right? He wasn't even thinking about the idea that he might... have been put down by some other people. It would just be too much for him to think about. After all, Ford had been a big part of his life after their first visit at Gravity Falls, he had helped them with problems even when they were back in the city.

He left out a shaky breath as he realised he had let himself think about the worse, shaking his head to chase away those thoughts. He missed the worried look Bill had as he was looking around, happy to see the cabin not far from them.

“Oh, I made something that might help us communicate, you want to try?” he asked as he finally turned toward the zombie, an excited smile plastered on his face. After all, it had been hard for them to do it since Bill couldn't do much more than grunt and shake his head. They had realised he was somewhat able to write, but the handwriting was so bad he couldn't understand it.

They quickly reached the cabin as he noticed a silhouette standing farther away, not wishing to bring attention to him right now. Once inside the cabin he was starting to call home, he locked the door and then went to light up the old lantern he was using to keep them out of the dark. Before going at the table he made himself a quick sandwich, following by quickly putting everything on the table.

He could see Bill fixing the board he just sat on the table, before he looked back at him. "I know it looks like a Ouija board, and it is, I'm not gonna lie, but we're not calling ghost with it, it's so you can spell words" he said, proud of the idea he had. Sure, it could be a little long, but it was still better than grunting and shaking his head as if the were in a game of charade. The idea seemed to be appreciated by Bill too, as he placed his fingers over the bottle cap Dipper had set down for him.

Dipper had a notebook with him, ready to spell out every word Bill would put down. "Okay, with what can we start... oh! Were you already in Gravity Falls when it happened?" he asked after searching a question, wanting to start with something simple, but still interesting. The zombie seems to think about it a little, before sliding the bottle cap over "No". "I see, were you close by then? Or did you walked aimlessly until you found me?".

"Both" came the first part of the response, before he slowly spell "close by bored city too much undead wanted see elsewhere". Dipper was so excited to finally be able to ask some questions about him. He was so curious about it and he could even ask Bill to help him in his research, obviously only if he wanted to do so. "So you walked the road aimlessly" at this Bill simply nodded, apparently happy too to be able to communicate with Dipper too.

It went on like this for a while, Dipper asking a question and then writing down the answer. He was often doing yes or no question since it was easier for both of them, but still did a lot of question he needed to develop on a little more.

“Do you like being like this?”. No.

“Did you manage to stay human at the beginning”. Yes.

“Were you with other people?”. No.

“How did you got infected?”. Got bitten by surprise.

"Does it hurt in your state?". No feels numb.

"So you don't really feel it when you get yourself hurt?". No.

"Do you think you've ever healed an injurie?". Don't know.

"Did you followed my scent back to town that time?". Yes.

"Do I smell that heavily?". No just different than zombie.

"Do you come from a big city?". Yes.

"Do you have something big that would force you to get back there if everything goes back to normal?". No my job what you mean.

“W-well, like your job, your family or a relationship”. Just work.

The last question seemed to amuse the zombie, as he gently laughed. Was Dipper scared he would run away the exact moment he would be human? Dipper couldn't even answer this question himself, he wasn't even sure why he was appreciating Bill so much in the first place.

He was taken out of his thought when he saw Bill starting to spell something else, writing it down, soon understanding it was a question for him. “Why you are middle of nowhere”. Dipper was confused at first, before realising he was talking about Gravity Falls. This made him chuckle a little, thinking about it.

"I know Gravity Falls might look like the middle of nowhere and pretty boring, but... there is so much here" he explained, excitement slowly taking place in his voice. "You might not believe me, but there are so many supernatural being in those forest around us, it as if Gravity Falls was a magnet for weird things. I guess I fell in love with this place the first time we came here, I was sad to get back in the city, it's not as exciting if you want my opinions" he added. After that, he went on what kind of adventure he had, either alone or with his family. It was pretty clear that he was in love with this place, he was even thinking about permanently moving there.

As much as Bill wasn't finding the place interesting at first, hearing the young man talk like this was slowly changing his mind on this place. It had been a long time since the last time he heard someone talking with such passion about something. Maybe if Dipper managed to find a way to change him back he would stay longer to see what he's talking about.

After a good fifteen minutes, the young man finally realised he had been talking nonstop, blushing a little. He wasn't used to being listened to when he was gushing about stuff like this. Sure Mabel was interested, but clearly not as much and not about everything. "Sorry, I got excited" he said, only gaining a smile and a shake of the head to tell him it was okay.

"Did uncle show all to you?" came the next question, Dipper quickly understanding he must have been talking about Ford. "When we first came I started alone, then he came back and did show me a lot of new things, but I took off by myself quite soon to learn and discover things without someone showing me around all the time. Sometimes we were going to look for new things together.

“He has been studying this kind of thing for decades, he was a real expert on the subject. I'm pretty sure he knew Gravity Falls like the back of his hand... He was the biggest chance we would have to find a way to correct everything, with his calculation and research skills... But now it all falls on me and I'm not sure I can really do it, I go over his journals again and again without much success and even try other things".

He paused a second, still remembering the moment it all happened. Dipper had been a little too careless and if it wasn't for Stanford pushing him away and protecting him he would probably have been the one to become a living dead. He couldn't bring himself to tell the others, he was scared they would get mad or even that Stanley would kick him out. After all, he already had lost his twin brother for thirty years and only got him back a couples years ago, now if Dipper was unable to find a way, he would lose him definitively.

Guilt was filling Dipper eyes, causing for Bill to be worried, trying to spell out questions, but it was useless, the young man wasn't really paying attention to the board. He was too stuck back on what happen and thinking it was all his fault. He was putting so much burden on his own shoulder that it was causing him to be overwhelmed by all of it when being reminded that they were counting on him to makes it all okay or when they were mentioning grunkle Ford.

The young Pines jumped a little when he felt cold finger stroke the back of his hand, trying to catch his attention. Looking back to Bill, Dipper didn't need him to spell out what he wanted to ask, his eyes saying everything. "It's nothing" he tried to lie, even if his voice was slightly shaky. Bill didn't look really convince, the young man not sure if he should tell him. He really needed to tell someone, it was starting to be heavy on him and he was afraid to write it down just in case someone would fall on it.

"It's all my fault Grunkle Ford was bitten, I wasn't paying enough attention and was being careless, he was bitten to help me" he then finally said, "And I can't even try to save him, I'm so useless that even after so many attempts I can't find a way to bring people back, I can't even be sure to help you out, or anyone for that matter" he continued, falling into self-doubt.

The zombie didn't seem to like this way of talking of himself, getting up to join him, loosely passing his arms around Dipper who was still sitting down, gently patting his head in an attempt to reassure him. This surprised Dipper at first, unsure if he had made him angry with his statement, but soon he understood it wasn't that, relaxing. He slightly hugged the man waist, letting him do his hug, trying to calm down.

No. It wasn't time to put himself down. He could do it, even Ford had told him so. Doubts were still there, but he was trying to bring confidence to the front. Saying it all out felt good and it was even better when the person listening didn't seem to be accusing him either.

He got out of the other arms when he felt better, the cold hand resting on his shoulders as Bill seemed to be scanning his expression to makes sure everything was now fine. Dipper offered him a small smile, starting to get a little tired. "Thank you" he said while looking back at him, "It feels good to finally says it to someone without being scared they might hate me afterwards".

Bill then slightly raised an eyebrow, seemingly not understanding where that reasoning was coming from. "Stan really likes his brother and they were apart from each other for over thirty years, Ford had only come back a couple of years ago, he would be mad that I made him lose his brother permanently if I can't be as much of a genius as Ford" he explained slightly.

They stayed in comfortable silence for a little while, still without changing position. At some point, Dipper pushed his notebook a little more on the table, standing up. "Okay, let's go to sleep, I'm starting to be tired” he admitted.

With that, he changed into something more comfortable to sleep, going to bed. Bill went to sit next to the bed like he nearly always do, still looking at him to make sure he would be fine. This made Dipper smile slightly, tapping the bed next to him. “Come next to me, you can make sure I don't get nightmares while I sleep” he suggested, also feeling like he needed a presence closer to him.

The zombie didn't really hesitate before coming on the bed, Bill going to lay down next to him, leaving little space between them since the bed wasn't exactly made for two grown men. The situation made the young Pines laugh a little, amused that he was sharing his bed with a zombie. Clearly, he had thrown caution out the window long ago. Still, having someone next to him was making him feel more secure.

He was a little surprised when Bill decided to slightly grab his hand, offering him a small smile. It did earn a smile from Dipper, who manage to relax a little more. Soon he fell asleep, his well being cared for by the zombie laying down next to him.

That night, he managed to not have nightmares about what happened with Ford after remembering it so much that day.


	4. Chapter 4

A couple of days went by where Dipper would often go to the cabin so he could pass some time with Bill. They learned a little more about each other that way. How was Dipper's life when he was away from Gravity Falls, what he was usually doing when he was passing the summer here. Talking a little about his family back in the city, hoping they are doing fine.

He was also able to learn some more about Bill. He works as a sells man, although he was starting to get tired of his job. Learned that he doesn't have many friends, only some acquaintance from high school he drinks with from time to time to catch up. The man admitted not being really close to his family, why he seems to hate when people call him by his full name, mainly being the same name as his dad. He hadn't gone in detail and Dipper didn't ask more, understanding it was more personal. All he could guess was that he might not have had the best relationship with his father.

The young Pines was the one speaking most of the time, as it was easier when he was doing so. He felt bad at first but realised that the zombie actually seemed to enjoy listening to him, looking really interested when he was rambling about the creatures you could find in the forest.

Obviously, they couldn't pass all those days doing nothing either, So they went to get food and other goods Dipper's group would need. Bill was a great help, as his scent seems to be good at covering the one from Dipper, keeping him safe. Plus, even if he wasn't really as fast and manual as he probably was before, he could still help carry things. The young man was finding it really nice to pair up with the zombie, feeling closer and closer to him with all this.

But with all this, he forgot to keep his guard a little more up as to not be caught by his family.

Bill and Dipper had finished eating some fishes Dipper caught in the day, going over some funny high school stories they had, when They were surprised by someone trying to open the cabin, failing to do so because Dipper had locked it. Then the voice of Mabel could be heard, asking if Dipper was here.

He couldn't act as if he wasn't, as the lantern was still lighting the cabin and she knew he wouldn't leave it to burn for nothing. So he started to panic a little, getting up quickly with Bill. "Yes, I.... I'm getting changed, just a minute and I'll open the door" he lied while thinking of how he could hide the zombie.

He needed to think quick, he couldn't have Mabel find out about him, he would be in trouble and he didn't know how she would react if she found out about it. When he figured it out, he gently grabbed Bill's hand, leading him to the bed.

"Hide under it near the wall" he whispered, helping him to the ground so he wouldn't fall and make too much noises. As the man was hiding under the bed, Dipper went to unlock the door, letting Mabel in.

"Did you decide to move out in here?" she then asked amused, as Dipper hadn't really come back fully to the shack in a couple of days. She looked around, the table catching her attention, everything set as if two people were there before. But it couldn't be, there wasn't really anyone else around here, was it? "Were you playing with a Ouija board?" she asked worried, looking back at her brother.

"Not really, I tried out of boredom, but nothing came out of it" lied Dipper, feeling immediately like he had messed up. Him trying to communicate with spirit out of boredom? It wasn't the safest way to do so, especially with how bad it went all the last times they did try in the past.

Mabel then looked at him suspiciously, as if seeing right through him. Dipper was looking a little too nervous, but she couldn't understand what was going on. "Dipper... are you okay?" she then asked, starting to sound a little concerned. This only made Dipper even more anxious, not helping her get rid of those suspicions. "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?".

Then there was a silence, Mabel trying to guess what could be wrong. "You... you didn't got yourself bitten right? That's not why you are staying away from us" she then asked, worry growing in her eyes. Her brother was surprised by her guess, making him suddenly react "No! I wouldn't have hide it from you!" he stated, "I wouldn't have stayed close just to make sure you are all safe, but I wouldn't just go and disappear without telling you" he explained.

This seemed to reassure the young woman. She knew she could trust her brother on that, it was something they had promised each other towards the start: immediately tell the other if you get bitten. But she still had been worried it might be that. But if it wasn't that, she couldn't see why her brother was looking so anxious.

"Dipper, you wouldn't hide something important from me, right?" she then asked, a little more seriously. The idea that he might be hiding something wasn't a pleasing one, but they had learned over the years that people could surprise them at any moment.

Something she didn't quite catch quickly flashed in her brother's eyes before he offered her a reassuring smile. "Of course not, you know I would tell you if something had happened" he said, lying through his teeth, feeling guilty about lying to Mabel. She just wanted to make sure he was fine and here he was, lying to her.

They went back and forth like that a couple of time, Mabel wanting to make sure he wasn't lying to her. When she saw she wouldn't get anything else from him, she gave up, sighing. She then simply thought that it was maybe just related to the Ouija board, that he had accounted something and wouldn't tell her. Maybe it wasn't too serious, so she gave up for now, knowing that Dipper could be just as stubborn as she could be.

"Do you have anything on your side about grunkle Ford?" she instead asked, trying to change the subject. This gain at first a sad sigh, Dipper turning around to go and look for a notebook in which he was keeping some research note on the subject. "I didn't make any progress, no trace of him around where I first lost him and where we thought we might have seen him" he explained.

While he was doing that Mabel took a quick look at the notebook still on the table, curious as to what he had been doing earlier, humming as if she was listening. It took a couple of lines before she understood they were all responses Dipper must have gotten, but as she was silently and quickly flipping pages, she found out that there was a lot of things and most likely not things a ghost would tell you. Had Dipper been speaking with someone? Had someone else really came her? Even the plates on the table were giving off the feeling it had been placed for two people, Dipper wasn't exactly one to leave dirty plates on the table for days on end.

She stopped when she saw Dipper finally turning back, starting yet again to listen to what he was saying about his research and all the place he had covered for now. "After so much time I really don't know how we will be able to find him" he admitted defeatedly, looking depressed about that idea. Mabel felt down about it too, not wanting to believe something bad might have happened to him. Sadly, neither did she manage to find a trace of Ford when she was looking around with some of the others.

After all, they decided not to kill any of them, knowing the person or not doesn't change anything, up until now they managed to trap them and just keep them away without killing. But that wasn't meaning any of the other still humans wouldn't do just like any classic zombie movie: blowing some heads up. None of them wanted to think the worse, reassuring themselves by thinking that there seem to be no one else in Gravity Falls left to do such a thing anyway.

After looking frustratedly at his notes, Dipper seemed to be looking guilty, yet again. This was a look she didn't like on her twin face. Dipper had done nothing wrong. It was all an accident, it wasn't as if he had orchestrated the whole thing. "Dipper, you better not be thinking about it being your fault again" she warned.

"Sorry" she simply received with a weak smile, Dipper closing his notebook to put it on the table. "I... I know it wasn't my fault" he said, although he wasn't sounding the most convincing in his affirmation. He was working on not blaming himself for what had happened but it was hard when it all happened because his grunkle was protecting him. Ford had been protecting them for the last years, but it had never ended up in such a disaster and they had been through dangerous situations.

Mabel then went and hugged her brother. "Don't worry Dipper, we will find him and we will find a way to bring him back" she said, sounding optimistic in what she was saying. Mabel was what every one of them needed: comfort and optimism. Sure, she and her time where she too was down about the whole situation, but she was clearly doing her best to keep everyone in a more positive set of mind. And it was always good for Dipper to have a good dose of optimism shove into him, since he had a tendency to be a little more pessimistic, even more when all his attempt were failing.

They let go of each other when Dipper seemed to be a little better, sitting at the table for a while, trying to mark on a map from Gravity Falls where around the area Ford might have gone, not wanting to give up. When it was finished, Mabel decided to go back.

"Are you going to be alright alone?" asked Dipper, a little worried because it was starting to be fully dark outside. "You are not the only one to be able to go out alone Dip-Dop" she chuckled, taking back the old grappling hook she had since their first visit and a baseball bat. Well, it was true, she was able to protect herself, but it was still making him nervous, but he could be too from time to time. After all, he was always making them nervous, especially while being out all the time with "no one else".

"Go back safe then" he said, clearly not ready to go out too, disappointment showing slightly in his sister's eyes. She would have wanted for him to come back too, but she was starting to think Dipper really liked being in that cabin of his. So she didn't ask, promising to be careful and wishing him a good night.

Once the door was closed and locked again, Dipper relaxed, letting out a relieved sigh. Mabel didn't seem to have caught up about Bill or being suspicious on that.

Now that he was sure they were alone, the young adult went back to the bed, kneeling down to look under it. Bill was still laying down there, back against the wall and legs bent to makes sure he wouldn't come off on the side without knowing it. He opened back his eyes when he heard the footsteps coming to the bed, looking happy that they were finally alone again.

Dipper then helped him crawl out from under the bed, Bill instead going for sitting on it, his legs probably sore from having been bent for so long. “Sorry for keeping you under the bed for so long” he said with a small smile. He simply received a shake from the head, indicating it was all fine.

Dipper was standing in front of him, looking at the table and all the things he would need to clean up later. As Bill was looking at him he could still see the guilt on his face, although he couldn't say if it was from thinking back to what happened with Ford or if he was thinking about all the lies he had to tell his twin.

The young man was indeed feeling guilty about lying to her like that. It wasn't that he wasn't trusting her, but he still couldn't bring himself to just tell her, he was scared something might happen somewhere along the way if others knew about Bill. He had never liked lying to Mabel and it wasn't going to suddenly change.

He was surprised when he suddenly felt arms surrounding his middle, looking down at the blond head placed on his chest. Bill was hugging him? Sure, it wasn't rare that one or the other would grab to other hand or sleeve, sometimes keeping really close just to hide Dipper's smell. But this wasn't Bill using himself as a shield and zombie scented candle, it was him straight up hugging him.

It was strangely comforting to have him do just that, gently reciprocating the action as best as he could with his standing position. "Thank you" he smiled at the blond, knowing he must have done it because he had seen him not looking at his best, yet again. This made the zombie smile the best he could, rubbing his head slightly against him as a response.

Dipper didn't really want to move from the embrace, staying like this up until he managed to change his mind a little. Even then, he kept the hug a little longer, just because he was liking it. He wouldn't have expected that, but he was really enjoying it.

He turned towards the table when he heard his talkie-walkie coming to life, Mabel sounding on the other end to tell him she was indeed safely home, other voice could slightly be heard in the background. He smiled at that, finally letting go of Bill, the zombie doing the same when he felt the pair of arms leaving him. "Lets clean the table up and go to sleep, the day was long and I feel tired" he admitted, feeling a little selfish to be the one dictating on his feeling. Well, if they were following on Bill state of fatigue, he would probably never sleep. Sure he didn't have the most energy, but he wasn't really looking tired either, he couldn't even tell for sure if he was sleeping next to him or just staying awake and faking it.

Yet, Bill happily agreed to the suggestion, not minding stopping there, knowing Dipper would only be more tired the following day if they were pushing him to keep talking. Plus, he doubted that the young man was still in the mood to retell high school stories or slowly write down what he was spelling and miming for him.

So they did just that, taking away the dirty dishes on the table, leaving it for tomorrow Dipper. They simply placed the Ouija board and the notebook at the centre of the table, going to place all the other thing he got out with Mabel in the chest.

Once done, the young Pines quickly prepared to bed, putting out the light from the lantern before finally going in bed. It wasn't long before Bill joined him, something that had become strangely natural for them in the past days. At first, he was just sitting next to him since it was more comfortable to be on the bed rather than the ground or a chair, now he was fully laying down next to Dipper, not leaving much space between them. Well, they couldn't do much better, the bed wasn't really big after all. Though it wasn't bothering Dipper, he was actually feeling safer knowing Bill was close to him and most likely ready to wake him up and help him if something was wrong.

Slowly, all the worries from the night were fading away, trying instead to concentrate on what they had done that day and the cold hand slightly touching his under the sheet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A billDip fanfiction with Dipper feeling guilty of lying to Mabel? More likely than you think.  
> But really, I just realised in 3/4 of my fanfiction with them, Dipper is starting to feel guilty t some point because he gotta lie to Mabel.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a little doodling from the earlier chapter when [Dipper chose a collar for Bill](https://truly-morgan.tumblr.com/post/623812493128712192/he-got-up-not-really-waiting-for-him-to-stand) (and Bill still refuse to take it off).
> 
> Also, we have a newcomer in this chapter!

The door slammed hard behind him once he was sure Bill had entered the building too, leaning heavily against the door as he was trying to catch his breath. It had been a close call.

Dipper had miscalculated the number of zombies present in the neighbourhood and had been surprised by their speed. Good thing they managed to enter his destination in time without getting caught.

His breath was finally calming down when he felt a hand grabbing his, making him look up at Bill, seeing the man looking at him with worried eyes. He managed to put a reassuring smile on his face as he straightened up a little bit, "Don't worry, I'm fine, they were too slow for us" he affirmed. This seemed to be enough as the tension in Bill's shoulder suddenly dropped, even if he kept his hand in his a little longer.

Dipper looked around, nothing had moved since the last time he came here. At least he could relax in here, he was always making sure no zombie could get in, less trouble when he was coming in to experiment ways to take care of this whole mess.

Yet, despite being confident no one would be inside, he still took a quick look around the house to make sure, Bill always taking the lead to keep him safe. "You know, you don't always need to stay in front to protect me, Bill" he pointed out only to have his hand squeezed a little, the other one showing his disagreement with this little gesture. A small chuckle escaped his lips, not really minding being protected this way. It was nice.

Only when he was sure everything was clear did he went for the last room, finally letting go of Bill's hand since he would need both of his. All was quiet behind the door, only when he opened it did some trashing around started, making him sigh a little. It wasn't going to be easy again. Once inside he took a look at the zombie tied to the ground, the other one looking clearly like he wanted to attack him, putting Bill on edge and coming closer to Dipper.

"Are you going to make my job hard again, Gideon?" he finally asked, watching the young man growling at him. Bill then looked at him, curious, not really expecting for him to know this one personally. "Let say we've had some conflict in the past, but he's not really a bad guy" he explained a little when he saw the look he was given, "He was a tough on to tied down".

He took a quick look around the room, seeing all the remaining of his previous attempt. Trace of chalk still on the ground, nearly all faded from his attempt at cleaning it. Candles nearly all burned out left to the side so Gideon wouldn't set the house on fire. Paper ball of notes left in a corner out of frustration. Clearly, it wasn't his first time trying around here.

"Lets get to work" he smiled to Bill, putting his bag to the ground so he could get his things out. He asked the blond if he could hold his notebook while he was drawing the circle on the ground, like this he could have the reference in front of him and it would make Bill happy since he could help.

He was doing it with precision, or at least, the most precision he could use with a zombie growling and trying to get to him. On top of that Bill would sometime start growling at Gideon too, surprisingly getting him to quiet down for a couple of minutes.

When that was done he sat some candles down at specific places, wiping his hand on his jean once everything was in place. Where Gideon wasn't giving any attention to what was set around him, Bill was looking at it with interest in his eyes. It wouldn't be the first time he saw Dipper's work, but it was still very interesting to him. Dipper thought that Gideon would probably have been interested if it wasn't for his present state.

The young man finally sat down, the notebook place on his crossed legs, ready to start reciting text. He could see from the corner of his eyes Bill standing next to him, most likely ready to attack if something was going wrong. It nearly felt like he had a guard dog with him, but again he wouldn't complain, at least like this he was sure he would be safe.

He didn't bother more with that, closing his eyes to relax. He needed to focus on this if he wanted it to work. Once he felt ready, he started reciting the text he had written down, hoping his pronunciation would be alright as it was clearly not English, nor anything he was familiar with.

It was a lead Ford had started working on before the accident. Dipper hadn't really touched it since then, but since it was one of the last things Ford did try working on, he thought it would be a good idea to try it. Yet, nothing was coming up despite all the sentence he was reciting, starting to make him doubt a little that it would work.

He was approaching the end of the text he was reading when Gideon stopped making sounds, only to restart again louder, making Dipper tense. His voice didn't waver, still speaking without a pause, trusting Bill in case something went wrong.

Then everything went quiet when he spoke the last words, none of them was moving. Dipper was nearly holding his breath as he was looking at Gideon, not sure what to expect, it was the first time he had such a reaction. Hopefully it hadn't harmed him either.

Then the zombie looked back up and around, looking somewhat confused. Only when his eyes fell on Dipper did recognition filled them, making him look a little more confused. The young man could finally let out his breath, a smile growing on his face, suddenly turning towards Bill. "I did it!?" he said in disbelieve.

He then turned back to Gideon. No. He needed to make sure before getting his hope high like this. "Gideon?" he then called out, catching again the attention of the other man. "It really you isn't it? Just nod two times to prove it" he asked. He received a look clearly telling him "What the fuck are you on Dipper", yet Gideon still nodded two times for him.

Dipper still couldn't believe it, he did it! Or well, close to it. It was just his consciousness from what he could see, but it was still a great improvement from nothing. He asked some more questions who could easily be answered despite his state, to make sure it was really Gideon and some easy action. The other one looked annoyed to be ordered around like this but still did it because he was still tied up and not sure of what had happened or why he couldn't really do anything normally.

Dipper then got up, ready to approach the young man only to feel a hand grab his wrist, keeping him from going. He was a little surprised by Bill action, not seeing any danger now that Gideon seem to be back. "It okay Bill, Gideon as his consciousness back, he wouldn't attack me like the others" he tried to reassure him, although it didn't really work this time.

Instead of letting him go, Bill just made him back up again, letting go only once he was far enough. Dipper saw the blond going himself to untied Gideon, coming back quickly to him, staying somewhat between the two of them. He really wanted to help Gideon get up correctly, having been tied down like this might have numbed his legs, yet he suspected Bill wouldn't let him do so.

He sighed a little. As happy as he was of this new development, he felt like this would be just more troublesome to deal with than anything else. He wasn't on bad terms with Gideon per se, but they were not the greatest of friends either. He could be a real little piece of annoyance when he wanted to, so he really hoped he would not do so right now.

“Well, I guess I'll have to take you with me too” he then said, surprised when he heard an unhappy grunt coming from Bill. He chuckle a little when the surprise passed, gently patting his head. “Don't worry, you'll stay my favourite little zombie” he teased to make him feel better. He then went to grab his things, putting them back into his bag, ready to go again.

But before that he did a little briefing to Gideon as to what had happened, only making suggestions about what had happened to him and finishing by what had just happened. "Everything is kind of a mess right now" he commented with a tired sigh, "You too did mess around with weird and supernatural things before, if you think of something tell me" he then asked, "It would be more beneficial to you than to me" he pointed out.

When everything was settled and Gideon had assured him he would follow him correctly they went back out. They had to walk some more before being able to use the golf cart since the road had too many zombies earlier for him to drive there safely. At least the ones from before seemed to have moved elsewhere for now. He was trying not to pay attention to the growling the two others were giving each other, guessing it might pass after some time.

When he was looking back he could see Gideon was picking on Bill, yet he couldn't do really much more than asked him to stop. "Okay guys let calm down now that we are at the car-" he jump when he suddenly heard a body hitting the ground right behind him, looking back worried. He froze a little when he saw Gideon on the ground, Bill above him, a hand on his neck and looking as if he wanted to punch him.

Dipper quickly went to stop him, hugging him from the side, pulling him with him as he fell to the ground. "Bill!" he scolded, keeping him to his chest as he seemed like he wanted to go back. Only when his name was called like this did Bill stop, looking back up at him with a weird look in his eyes. Dipper was surprised by the pinch it gave to his heart, his expression softening.

"Don't look at me like this or I can't scold you" he said to tease him a little, only feeling Bill turning around in his arms to hug him too, hiding against his chest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scream at you" He gently went and patted his back, a little laugh coming from his lips. He wasn't sure why he had such a sudden harsh reaction but felt like he could probably ask him later on. "Just don't do that again, okay? Gideon is a friend of Mabel and she would be mad at us for hurting him".

Once he managed to calm the blond down he finally got them inside the cart, Bill sitting at the front with him, although he kept a close eye on Gideon for the whole ride. At least now Gideon wasn't trying to pick on him and was staying nicely at the back like a good boy.

The ride wasn't the best one yet, it was a little tense for Dipper. He wouldn't have expected for Bill to act in such a way. Sure, he was really protective when they were around other zombies, but it had never gotten to the point where he went to physically attack.

He had to drop them at the cabin first, hoping they wouldn't fight while he was going to drop what he brought back to the shack. Gideon looked like he wanted to stay as far from Bill as possible (he wouldn't blame him for feeling that), so he believed they should be fine for the time being.

Still, he tried to go as fast as he could to drop the supplies at the shack, not knowing how long the both of them would stay somewhat friendly to one another. He took a little more time than he would have liked because Stanley tried to convince him to stay, after all, he did go through the past days without coming back. He did stay a little, but even Mabel was on his side for this, which was helping a lot. He guessed it was because she had suspicion about something and knew he wouldn't just give up what he was working on. At least he stayed for diner, so Stanley and the other were satisfied with that.

When he finally entered the cabin, he found Bill quietly sitting at the table, going through one of his notebooks, while Gideon was staying far away at the window, looking at the darkness slowly taking over outside. “ _I guess it went well..._ " he thought to himself, turning to Bill when he reached him, "Do you have fun reading my older notes?" He then asked.

He receives energetic nods from the blond, making him chuckle a little as he looked over his shoulder to see what he was looking at. "The gnomes? Real little pest if you ask me, if you want a good suggestion, don't get involved with them, too much trouble for nothing" he commented, still remembering his first meeting with those little guys. Like always, he found that Bill was listening closely to him, which was a nice change from the others who didn't always understand what he was talking about.

He offered him a smile, even though it was a little tired. He looked around, not seeing anything he needed to do for now. Running around in town and giving back his consciousness to Gideon had been tiring. “Not that I don't want to stay with you two, but I need some sleep now” he stated while walking towards the bed, “we'll see tomorrow if I can repeat what I did today, You can come with us if you want” he said, the later part for Gideon.

The light then went out, Dipper guessing Bill had blown out the lantern, leaving them in the dark. Could have been a good time to change, yet all he did was taking off his shoes, feeling too tired to even do more. He then slipped into bed, hearing two sets of footsteps before finally feeling the bed move a little as someone else was getting in.

Looking up he saw Bill sitting next to him, Gideon standing next to the table as he was looking at them weirdly. Dipper was too tired to put more thought on that, closing his eyes again, staying close by Bill, relaxing a little more when he felt a hand going through his hair.

He did his best to simply empty his head, excitement from succeeding in at least bringing back consciousness still running in him despite how tired he was. He would need to follow that path, maybe he could finally bring an end to all of this.

At this point, what he felt like he couldn't wait for was turning Bill back to a human. This was a goal that had slowly awoken in him. He really wanted to be with him without all the trouble that was bringing his present state. He hoped Bill would accept to still see him after all this.

On such positive notes, Dipper finally fell asleep, the hand in his hair helping him do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: "He guessed it was because she had suspicions about something and knew he wouldn't just give up what he was working on.". I messed up in my own timeline, the reason why Mable help is because of suspicion, not knowledge.


	6. Chapter 6

Everything had been going relatively good in the three weeks that had followed Gideon recovery of consciousness. Bill and Gideon were not always ready to jump to each others throat, although it was probably because Gideon had learned his lesson the last time. There was still some fighting, but it was mainly growling and such, Bill nearly stopping immediately if Dipper was asking him to.

With those two to look over, Dipper was even more often out of the Shack and at his small cabin. Well, saying at the cabin was probably not exactly that either, as he was trying to recreate what he managed to do with Gideon.

And it worked! He did it half a dozen time before taking a break from that, leaving them safely in an abandonment house. Obviously, they could go freely around, he wasn't locking them up, but he still asked if it would be possible to stay around the house area so he could work with them to turn them back.

He would use Bill and Gideon as his primary test subjects, yet a small fear of messing up was keeping him from doing it. Sure he wasn't really friend with Gideon, but he didn't want to harm him either. As for Bill, he wouldn't forgive himself if he were to hurt him by doing his tests. The blond still looked like he wanted for him to do work on him, although he did stop when Dipper told him about his worries.

But despite his hard work on that, changing the incantation, the circle and other things, nothing was really coming up from his tries. He was even surprised to learn all this was actually draining him a little, even if it was making sense that using this sorts of method would use up some of his energy, especially when he was trying multiple times in a day.

That's why for now he was just doing some fishing, Bill wouldn't let him do anything more than that after all the failed attempts of the day before. It was to a point where even Gideon seemed to worry about his well being.

Lazily fishing was the activity of the day, he couldn't just do nothing either and fishing wasn't demanding a lot of energy in his opinion. Plus, it was always nice to sit on the deck next to Bill, talking about the things he knew lived in the forest of Gravity Falls. Gideon had given up listening after a dozen of minutes, either because he already knew those things or because he couldn't stand watching them.

Dipper wasn't really minding, the shyness over why he was doing that had already passed. He had learned from Gideon that he and Bill weren't just looking friendly to one another. It was on a rainy evening when they were stuck in the cabin and the young man kept rolling his eyes at the sight of them, so Dipper finally asked what was wrong.

“U 2 lok lovey dovey”

This had taken Dipper by surprise, not expecting for him to write that. He had been a little flustered at the idea, trying to deny it, even though it was hard to deny when Bill was actually nearly all over him at the very moment. He guessed that in retrospective, they did look lovey-dovey. Yet, even if he felt flustered, something in him was kind of happy to be seen like this.

The days follow that news he did try to be careful, but it was no use, Bill was already close to him, grabbing either at his clothes or hands, or just straight up hugging him. It was feeling nice to be like this with someone he really appreciated and he wasn't going to stop that just because Gideon thought it was somewhat annoying to see them act like this all the time. It wasn't his fault that he was turned into a zombie and now stuck with them.

"Do you want some fish too Gideon? I can also keep you some fish guts if you like it" he asked, looking back to see a disgusted look on the zombie's face. " _Well, I guess I can take that as a no_ ” he thought to himself, turning towards Bill when he heard some whining, not happy to hear his snack would be taken away from him. He laughed a little, offering him a smile, “Don't worry, I'll leave them to you since you like them” he reassured him, before putting his attention on the line, a fish pulling at it.

He pulled out his fish, dumping it in his bucket with the other one, taking a quick look to see how many he had. It should be enough for them and the ones at the shack. He was still a little surprised by how much time it could take to fish just a little more fishes for two people. He sighed slightly, getting up and stretching. “Ready to go back at the cabin you two?” he then asked, receiving some nods as both of them were getting ready to go back.

As he was getting ready to go back he felt like he might have forgotten about something, but couldn't find what exactly. It was bothering him a little, but he ended up giving up since he couldn't find what it was all about, instead putting his attention on the two other somewhat bickering again. He chuckled slightly, at least they were not getting physical and he had gotten used to their growling and grunting.

But he froze when he suddenly heard his name being yelled from farther behind them, nearly dropping his bucket of fish. Panic started to slowly raise in him, turning around to see Mabel with an expression just as worried and panic as his, but for different reasons.

By habit, Bill went to shield him, even though it would only cause her to be more worried. Dipper gave a glance towards Gideon, seeing him somewhere between overjoy to see the young woman and anxious as to what might happen because of his present state. He only turned back when he heard quick footstep and Mabel yelling again to move away from them.

He noticed that she was coming in an attempt to attack just so he could get away, raising more panic in him. He then just drop the bucket, quickly pushing past Bill to go serve as a shield, making Mabel stop a couple metre away in disbelieve and confusion.

“Dipper... W-what are you doing!?”.

"Y-you get it wrong! They are with me, they won't do anything bad!" he exclaimed, trying to reassure her while he was keeping Bill from going in front of him. At least Gideon was wise enough to stay close to him, just in case Mabel wouldn't mind giving him a swing to protect Dipper, he knew very well what those two could do to protect each other sometimes.

Mabel was looking even more confused, clearly not understanding what he was meaning with "they are with me". Her eyes then drifted off to Gideon, the zombie tensing a little, unsure what to do now that he had been noticed. "Is that... Gideon?" she then asked, a ghost of a smile on her lips, as she was still aware he was a zombie just from looking at him. She snapped out of her observation when she saw the blond coming closer to Dipper, tenser despite how calm her brother was looking near him. "What do you mean they are with you?"

Dipper looked slightly to the side, trying to find a way to put it simply. He himself wasn't really sure how it had worked or even which part had worked exactly. “Bill and Gideon have their consciousness back, they won't hurt me” he said, “I found Bill when he helped me in town to hide from another zombie and he never tried to attack me" he then explained quickly, "I managed to get Gideon back not so long ago, I went on the same track Ford had started before...". He took a small pause, not wanting to say it, but the look on Mabel's face was telling him she knew what he was talking about. "All this to say, they aren't dangerous, Bill has been protecting me since I met him, none of them will do anything".

"How can you be so sure!?" suddenly asked Mabel, angry that Dipper was taking such a big risk and without even telling her. There was a silence, she could tell even Dipper couldn't give her an answer, he couldn't give proof of his saying. "For how long?" she then asked, finally loosening her grip on her bat, her arms falling at her sides, "Since when have you been hiding him from me?" she asked, nodding towards Bill.

The brunette was quiet at first, "You remember when I came back with warmer clothes and dog leashes?" he then asked, knowing it was already a couple of weeks ago that he did so. He saw her frown slightly, nodding at his question. "That's... when I met Bill" he finally admitted.

"Dipper! That was like... a month ago!" she said, pausing in the middle to remember correctly. Dipper didn't like the angry and betrayed look she had. He should have told her, he shouldn't have hide it from his twin. Of course, she would find out at some point, but by accident wasn't the best way to do so either.

"I-I know" he responded, not sure what to do other than convince her he was doing fine. They went to argue on that some more, Mabel not believing he could be alright while having a zombie at his side all the time. Who knew, maybe he could snap and attack him? Or he could accidentally infect him. Of course, those were all things Dipper had already thought about, but it hadn't changed his mind in the sightliest.

As he was running out of new argument to give her and repeating himself, he was getting more agitated and tense. He was scared she might tell the others, clearly, Stan wouldn't like to hear about that. He was startled when he felt a hand grab his gently, a thumb stroking the back of his hand. He turned to Bill who was trying to calm him down, stopping in the middle of his sentence. Mabel noticed it, unsure what to think when she saw some tension lifting from Dipper's shoulders.

"Mabel, look... I know this is really risky, but up until now I have been fine, I know what I'm doing and even more, I'm finally advancing on finding a way to turn them back" he said, tired from arguing with her, "Bill has even been helping me, at least the best he can... I know I can turn him and Gideon back to normal, I just need more time to find out how to do it... so please don't tell Stan, I... I don't want to see him going away".

Mabel was quiet after his final plea, looking like he was dead set on what he wanted with those two, or more specifically Bill. She bit her lip, looking away, unsure what to think. She wanted to trust her brother's judgement, but she wasn't trusting of a zombie, consciousness back or not, things could go wrong. Yet, she felt like if she was trying to take away the blond, Dipper would just be in a bad state and wouldn't work correctly.

Worst, what if they chase the blond away but Dipper decided he would go find him alone? He was clearly attached to him, she wouldn't be surprised if he tried just that.

After some deliberating she sighed heavily, frowning in frustration that he wouldn't listen to her. “Two months” she then stated, surprising and confusing the trio in front of her. “I'm giving you two months to make progress and change them back, if you can't I'll have to tell grunkle Stan, I can't just lie to him about something like this forever” she said.

Dipper was unsure if he could go with such a deadline, but really he wasn't in a good place to negotiate. It was already good that Mabel accepted to play along with him for two months. A small relived smile drew itself on his lips, looking happy that he was at least getting that. "I'll try to find something".

"And I will be checking on you often" she added, which was pretty reasonable to him. Sure, she couldn't really stay with him all the time, she had things to do at the shack too now that he was living in his little cabin, but she could make sure he was fine. If it was what she needed to feel more at ease, Dipper wouldn't complain about having her check on him every day, or even multiple times a day.

He could finally let out a sigh of relief, Mabel finally approaching him with no intent to attack, although she was still on guard. “So... Gideon's back too?” she said, a little smile appearing on her lips. The young man turned to her, a smile (or to closest to that) forming on his own lips.

"Yeah, a circle I was trying finally worked, though I couldn't get him back fully" he admitted, crouching down to put the fishes back into his bucket. "I guess it was better for you, you two wouldn't have stopped arguing otherwise" pointed out Mabel, amused at the idea.

“ _I'm not sure if Bill wouldn't have terrorised him before that_ " thought Dipper, "That or he would have just gone to join you at the shack" he suggested, knowing this was a more plausible scenario. Also, Gideon would probably not have enjoyed going all around the place just to try and get people back to normal. He hadn't really touched to supernatural stuff in years after all, other than the occasional times where he would be dragged in by the twins.

With that, they took the way back to the cabin, Dipper trying to explain to Mabel what seemed to have worked when he turned back the young man consciousness and the newer ones. She even helped him trying to think some more on which part might be better to keep or what to add.

He could finally relax a little, seeing that Mabel wasn't going to go run back to their grunkle and tell him about what was going on with him. He knew she wouldn't go back on her words, although he had better find a way to change them back fully as quick as possible to keep his own part of it. Even if he was found out after all this he didn't mind, he just needed it to be kept a secret for now.

“Do you want to stay for diner here?” asked Dipper as they were approaching the small cabin. “No, the others are waiting for me back at the Shack, I think I'll just go and deliver your fishes” she smiled. She might not have said it, but Dipper guessed she might also not want to stay close to Bill for too long. He supposed it was fair that she wasn't really trusting him as much as Dipper was.

"True, we shouldn't leave them to starve, although I doubt you're going to miss out on food" he said with a smile, "But if you do, tell me, I'll go get some more can and see what else I can find in town" he then suggested. After all, he sort of had taken the official title of "food hunter".

Dipper then opened the door, the small group ready to enter the cabin when suddenly a voice called from inside:

“Dipper”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like "hiding that Dipper is seeing Bill behind Mable's back" is the one trope I always end up doing. Up until now, 3/4 of my stories have it. Dipper hiding that Bill's back and stuck in their dimension, Dipper hiding that he's seeing one of the most dangerous mobsters of their area and now Dipper hiding to Mable that he was housing sweet zombie Bill.
> 
> Can I ever write fanfic without the cruel betrayal of your twin brobro hiding some demon/mobster/zombie boyfriend from you?
> 
> 22/09/2020 Update: I know it only has been a month since this chapter came out (tho it feels like ages ago), but as I did one for the other, I thought doing one here.
> 
> been listening to my writing with the help of edge, making me realised and be able to correct misspelt and missing words in some chapters (that's what I get for writing at 2 am most of the time I guess). Hope I got to the worst ones out. I'll try to work on my next chapter (as they are already kind of planed), tho I can't promise how long it will take since school as restarted and the pandemic is making everything harder too.


End file.
